What is, and what is not, functioning during the government shutdown?

Below are the activities that will continue for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the Department of Labor (DOL) according to each agency’s Contingency Plan In The Event Of Lapsed Appropriations.

EEOC: Only activities involving the safety of human life or the protection of property will continue. The active staff will maintain the integrity and viability of EEOC’s information system and the security of their offices and property to ensure the agency can start up again when funding returns. Specific activities that will continue during the shutdown are:

Docket new charges and federal sector appeals.

Continue to litigate lawsuits where a continuance has not been granted.

Examine new charges to determine whether prompt judicial action is necessary to protect life or property and, if appropriate, file such action to obtain preliminary relief.

NLRB will also reduce services and programs to only those most essential. These have been identified as:

Office of Inspector General hotline necessary for safety of life and protection of property.

Emergency contact necessary for safety of life and protection of property or to protect federal legal actions already taken.

DOL has reduced staff from 16,304 to 2,954 to keep only the most essential functions running in each Agency. For details on the activities at each Agency that will continue, you can read the DOL plan here.